Brake-actuated motor control.



H.P.D0DGE. BRAKE AGTUATED MOTOR GONTROL.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.1, 1911. Patented Oct. 29, 1912.

HENRY 1?. DODGE, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE OHIO ELECTRIC CARhCOlVIPANY,

OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO. l

' BRAKE-ACTUATED MOTOR CONTROL.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed December l, 1911. Serial No. 663,209.

Tok all'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRYI. Doven, a citizen of the United States, residinv at To ledo, in the ycounty of Lucas and @tate of Chio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements .in Brake-Actuated "Motor Controls; and l. do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in'the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon,

' which form apart of this specification.

In the operation of electrically driven machinery, especially electric automobiles, the objections to applying a brake while the motor is under full current are well understood. Various methods of'overcoming these objections have. been proposed, such as mechanically connecting the brake with a switch which opens the motor circuit, or by the use of magnetic cut-outs. 'These' devices, however, have not proved satisfactory, having been found either unsafe or uncertain,

My invention is designed to 'provide devices` by 'means of which the application of a brake to electrically driven machinery shall automatically open the motor circuit and which will prevent the closing of the ,circuit by the mere releasing 'of the brake,

compelling the return of the controller to neutral position before the current can belagainturned on. I attain theseobjectsby means of the devices, construction and arrangement of parts Ahereinafter described, and shown and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,'-A

Figure 1 is acentral vertical sectional elevation of my device, and Fig.' 2', a diagram matic illustration of a plan of wiring which may be employed in connection with my de vice.

j In the drawings,'1 is a shaft which carries a pedal or foot-lever and which is connected with and actuates a suitable brakeinechanism as indicated on a greatly reduced scale, as at c, Fig. -1, which 4parts will be well understood without further illustration or explanation. The shaft 1 carries a cam 2 upon which rides a roller 8 journaled upon the lower end of a soft iron plunger or armature 4.

5 is a spool 'tact-piece 13 connected with outl wound with magnet wire to,

form a magnetic helx 0r solenoid magnetl.y The solenoid is inclosed within a case 6a, the top of which .carries a soft iron core 7, proratented oet. 2e, 1912.

jecting, as shown, into the hollow of the y solenoid. Through the center of the core 7 is a boreA in which reciprocates vertically a rod 8 secured at its lower end to the top of the plunger 4. A flat spring 9, preferably, 'of bronze, extends Aacross the top of the solenoid in the path of the upper end of the rod 8 and is ins'lated from the magnet and its case. by insulator 10. One endof the spring 1s secured upon the insulator and is connected with inleading wire 11, by binde" ing screw 12; The opposite free end of the spring rests normally upon insulated coneading wire 14 by binding post 15.

16 is a controller electrically connected through a series of contact-points 17' with solenoids or other magnets 18 for actuating switches 19 to throw into and. out of circuit with the storage battery 20,-01 other source of'electrical energy,the motor 21 and the resistances 22. It will be seen that when either of the make-a'nd-break devices 19 is in position to transmit the motor current to the motor, the control circuit is through the wires 11-14 and the spring 9, and that plunger 4 is-through the cam 2 and roller 3-lifted, the upper end of the rod 8 strikes the under side of the spring 9 lifting the spring, thus breaking the control circuit. The magnet 18 which happens to be energized at the beginning of this operation, now instantly becomes inactive and its switch 19 drops into open position, thus throwing the motor out of circuit.

n When the upper end of the rod 8 strikes and lifts'the spring 9, the circuit is shunted through the spring, the rod, the plunger 4, the wire 23 and through the helix 6 and the outleading wire 24. The solenoid being now energized'and the plunger 4 being liftedand held in close contact with the core 7, the release of the brake bythe backward turn of `the shaft 1 does not cause'the plunger 4 to fall, as the plunger will still be held fast. by

the magnet until the control circuit is brokentrol circuit being thus opened, the plunger 4 is now," permitted to drop, restoring the when, by a part turn of the shaft l, theA 4 spring to itsnormal position so that the b like-mechanism; a control/circuit which incontroller l0 is now connected with the switch controlling magnets 18.

The advantages ot the device here described are that by its employment the circuit is mechanically opened thus shutting off all power from the motor; that the current is shut off 'from the motor when the brake is applied and then cannot be turned on 10' until after the brake is released; that in case of disarrangemcnt of the automatic brake-control the motor circuit is not at- :tected auth-in the case et an electric autoy mobile, for which this device is ijiarticularly l5 adapted ,f--the operation oil? the vehicle would notlin such case be interfered with, and that verj-,f' sli g'lit current may he used to energize magmt e inasmuch the plunger 4 is primar mechanically moved in contact with 29 'the core T, tl'icre beingY no air gap to overcome.

I do not, o l course, limituiy invention to ,Vorm ot' magnet shown, nor i, arn'iature illust rated, nor to Y means for mecl'ianically actuine armature, as other lf-'firms oi' these for carivine out the principle here will aug-gest themselves to those the art. descril'ml my inventirm, what I n( desir to secure hy Letters Patent 'in a device o t the described character, a .c r circuit, devices which control the mocircuit, a control circuit carrying a current rvlrch actuatcs Said controlliiigj devices, a ontrol a.' in said control circuit, iucans for mechanically openii'ig said conti-ci circuit and means iverned solely by the controller tor closing; A,aid control circuit.

2. In a device of the described character, motor circuit, an electric motor therein; a

i. l l l i l l cludes devices for governing the motor circuit, a controller electrically connected with said `governing devices, a malee-and-hrcak device, a switch, an electro-magnet, and an arlfmlture; devices controlled by the movement of the brake-mechanism for opening said mak\a1id-ln'eak device-to open said motor circuit-and for simultaneously actuating` said switch to energize said magnet, whereby thc 1nake-andbrcak device is held open independently of the brake-mcchanism- 3. In a device of the described character, a

motor circuit` a control circuit, means gov-A erned by the control circuit for controlling the motor circuit, a controller electrically connected with .said governing means, niechanically actuated devices which open but do not close the control circuit, and means govern-cd by the controller for closing the control circuit independently of circuit openingl devices.

4l. In a devite of the described character, a brake-mechanism, a solenoid magnet, a plunger, means actuated by the movement of the lnall'e-mechanisin for lifting' the plunger in the solenoid, a motor-controlling` circuit, in said circuit a n1akc-and-brcak device which is opened by said movement of the plunger, and connections whereby the opening of said circuit shunts the circuit through the solenoid to attract the plunger to and hold the n1ake-andbreak device open independently of the movement ofthe brakemechanism.

In tcstilnony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY P. DODGE. lVitnesscs WVM; C, BI'NNS, LEONA KIBURTZ. 

